Brussels/Podgorica, (MINA-BUSINESS) – Montenegro provisionally closed Chapter 8 – Competition Policy and Chapter 29 – Customs Union at today’s Intergovernmental Conference with the European Union (EU) in Brussels.

 

Prime Minister Milojko Spajic said at a press conference following the conference that Montenegro could not have received better news for Statehood Day than the provisional closure of two more negotiating chapters.

 

“With this, we have passed the halfway mark in the accession process, with more than half of the negotiating chapters now closed, while all remaining chapters are in the final stage, with some already ready for closure,” Spajic said.

 

“We will complete the negotiating process, and the parliaments of all EU member states, our partners, will be ready to ratify the Accession Treaty. The goal is well known – 28 member states in 2028. We are ready,” Spajic said.

 

Ireland's Minister of State for European Affairs, Thomas Byrne, said that the “Super Tuesday” for EU enlargement continues and that Montenegro has now passed the halfway point in the accession process.

 

“Montenegro has now closed 18 chapters, which is more than half of the negotiating chapters. This is very important not only for Montenegro and the European Union, but also for every country outside the EU that wishes to join the Union,” Byrne said.

 

European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos described today as a “Super Tuesday” for EU enlargement and said Montenegro is an important part of that process.

 

“We held four Intergovernmental Conferences with four candidate countries today, something that has not happened since 2002,” Kos said, adding that today’s conference was the seventh over the past year and a half at which Montenegro had provisionally closed negotiating chapters.

 

She added that the chapters closed today would bring tangible benefits to both citizens and businesses.

 

“For companies wishing to invest in Montenegro, this means they will be able to operate under the same rules that apply across the European Union, resulting in less administrative burden, fewer documents, fewer inspections and fewer barriers,” Kos explained.